The Local Churches Typified in the Book of Psalms

Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee

1. Dwelling in God’s House

In Book I, especially in Psalm 23, the concept of the house of God was introduced through Christ. By the shepherding of Christ in His resurrection life, the saints are led into the house, where they say, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” It is immensely significant that the house is introduced in this way. All of Christ’s shepherding is to bring the saints into the house.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 81)

[Psalm 23]

“Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (v. 6). What is this? It is at this point that we are settled in the local church. The Psalmist did not say that he would pass through the house of the Lord, but that he would dwell in the house of the Lord….David expected to dwell in the house of the Lord on this earth.

You may say that now you are in the local church. Yes, you are in the local church, but let me illustrate the real situation to you from my experience. I have been in the local church for forty years, but I can testify that my being in the local church today is different from my being there forty years ago. Forty years ago I was not so deeply settled in the local church, but today I am deeply settled. Not one who is reading this book can remove me from the local church. I am dwelling in the house of the Lord. I can hear some of you saying, “Hallelujah, I am so happy I am in the local church!” But after six months you may say, “It is not so good as it used to be; I’m not so happy.” Eventually you may even say, “This local church is not what I thought it was; I’m going to give it up.” An infant tree which has been planted only two weeks ago is easily plucked up. But after a tree has been growing for forty years, a giant bulldozer would be required to remove it. Praise the Lord, I am really settled in the house of the Lord. I do not care whether the house of the Lord seems to be wonderful or miserable—I am just here. You may think today that you are settled in the house of the Lord, but you are not so settled. You need time to pass the test, time to grow, time to let your roots be deeply implanted. The shepherding of the resurrected Christ is to lead us into the local churches, to lead us into the house of the Lord forever. It is here that goodness and lovingkindness follow us all the days of our life.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 52-53)

[Psalm 84]

Now let us consider the various aspects of the Psalmist’s experience concerning the house. The first aspect of His enjoyment, poetically speaking, is the two altars. “Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God!” (v. 3). Undoubtedly we are the sparrows, we are the swallows, we are the little creatures, so small and so frail. Yet we may find a house. We have already mentioned that in the Psalms, whenever the house of God is mentioned, it is presented not only as a place in which God may dwell, but as the place where we also may find our home. This is the sweet feeling of the Psalmist concerning the house of God. It is a place for the little sparrows to abide. It is a place for the swallow to build a nest for herself, where she may lay her young. We find a home in the house of God, and this home is at the two altars.

In ancient times, both in the tabernacle and in the temple, there were two altars: one was in the outer court, and the other was in the holy place; one was without, and the other was within. The altar in the outer court was the place for the offerings, which dealt with all negative things, which cleansed, redeemed, and delivered from all problems. The altar in the holy place was the altar of incense, which signifies the resurrected Christ as our acceptance to God. Hence, these two altars signify the crucifixion of Christ and Christ in resurrection. Together, they embody in type all that Christ is with all that He has accomplished and attained. It is here that we find our home; it is here that we find our rest in the house of God. All the little ones in the local churches must realize and apprehend the significance of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ, with all that He has accomplished and attained for us. I say again, the Psalms are poetry, and we must understand them in a poetic way.

We need to care for the little ones in the local churches by helping them realize the value and meaning of the first altar, and the significance and worth of the second altar. We must cause them to apprehend how Christ is the crucified One at the offering altar and the resurrected One at the incense altar that they may enjoy all the goodness of the crucified Christ and the resurrected Christ. It is here at the altars that we have a real resting place, a true nest for the little ones. This is the first item of all the enjoyment in the local churches.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 148-149)

Main

God’s House

Zion

City of God

Bride

Practical Salvation

Built Up

Victory

Bibliography

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